# Workplace griping, anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 12, 2010, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401 "2010-11-12T06:39:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/341 "2010-12-18T00:36:36Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I have often said that whatever the company is going to give me would be better srerved by handing me the cash. $5 little trinket? Hand me $5, please. There was a thread a while back about all those little awards and trophies and plaques that companies give out instead of bonuses. Almost everyone would rather have the cash than the bling. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/342 "2010-12-18T00:42:20Z")
> [@Baffle](#): > > The contracts are signed and returned. We start January 4th. And yes, if you show yourself to be a hard worker, a good company will notice, and you will get rewarded. > > TL;DR: We’re great, co-workers suck, company noticed, big raises. Hey, get out of here with that positive work ethic, which was rewarded by fair financial compensation. What kind of thread do you think this is, anyhow?? ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/343 "2010-12-18T01:02:38Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > **Moon, curl** are we still bashing people with clue sticks? I’d like very much to join in, please. I dunno - haven’t had much time for here lately! ETA: Oh, you mean folks at work! Haven’t done that lately either! ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/344 "2010-12-18T05:10:51Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > There was a thread a while back about all those little awards and trophies and plaques that companies give out instead of bonuses. Almost everyone would rather have the cash than the bling. Oh but haven’t you seen the surveys and other assorted bullshit that loudly proclaim that what employees really want is recognition? I mean, it’s almost like they think if they say it enough times, that we’ll actually believe it. Screw recognition, I’ll take more money thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/345 "2010-12-18T07:03:29Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Hey, get out of here with that positive work ethic, which was rewarded by fair financial compensation. What kind of thread do you think this is, anyhow?? Yeah! Who let Worky Workerson in? I’m with you on the temps, **Baffle**. I work as a temp because I have a short attention span for jobs, not because I’m incompetent, and most jobs I’ve been at are amazed by, well, me showing up on time and being able to file alphabetically without a cheat sheet. I think the company I’m at now would like to hire me, but I don’t want to work for them because the supervisor is a real wanker and is making a very bad department. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/346 "2010-12-18T08:36:01Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Oh but haven’t you seen the surveys and other assorted bullshit that loudly proclaim that what employees really want is recognition? I mean, it’s almost like they think if they say it enough times, that we’ll actually believe it. > > Screw recognition, I’ll take more money thanks. The thing is, an award or plaque is NOT recognition. It’s like the stupid gift certificate which was handed out at a work dinner earlier in the thread…the gift wasn’t really useful to the recipient, as s/he’d have to put up some cash out of his/her pocket to use it. All this “gift” did was aggravate the recipient, whereas if s/he’d been given five bucks (or five bucks plus the cost of the dinner) s/he’d have been a hell of a lot happier. Or if his/her direct supervisor complimented him/her on a solution to a particularly difficult problem at work, THAT would have been recognition. Handing out pieces of paper or acrylic is simply a shortcut, one that allows the Middle Managers and Big Bosses to claim that they recognize and reward their workers, without actually spending much money or accomplishing much morale raising. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/347 "2010-12-18T13:36:44Z")
My husband usually gets a nice little Christmas bonus, in the $200-$300 range. Yesterday at the office potluck\* was handed a $5 grocery store gift card. Five dolla, five dolla. Maybe we’ll go get a couple of cans of soup.\*\* \*Which he didn’t tell me about, so I didn’t make anything for him to take. He showed up empty-handed at the potluck. He said he didn’t want to bother me because he knows I’ve been so stressed. Sweet of him, but obvs I could have whipped up a batch of my fabulous lemon bars. \*\*It’s not like we’re really hurting for groceries, and we’ll probably donate the card to the food bank or buy groceries to donate with it. $5 can buy a couple of meals for somebody in a shelter. Maybe that was what they had left over in the budget after they bought cold cuts for the party, and they decided to divide it up among the staff. That’s the way I’ll choose to look at it, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/348 "2010-12-18T19:38:51Z")
Bad husband! Doesn’t he know that there are any number of pre-made things he could buy at Safeway to take to a potluck? I went to our office potluck empty-handed on Thursday, but that was because no one had told me about it, and I didn’t care if I was invited or not anyway. I will be making them cookies next week when I go in; I ain’t no free-rider. My supervisor is such a yutz. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/349 "2010-12-19T05:30:35Z")
After years of opening 364 days a year including Thanksgiving, 4th of July, EVERYTHING, my boss has officially announced that we are now upping that to 365. Yes, that’s right…LESS THAN TWO WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS…we get told that , despite it being the only day of the year the doors stay closed for years now, we need to show up Christmas Eve. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2010, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/350 "2010-12-19T06:16:26Z")
> [@Ann\_Onimous](#): > > I’ve got a couple of 6th grade trombonists I’ll rent out. 😃 :: Shudder :: Add a beginning violinist, and we have the soundtrack of someone’s nightmares! ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/351 "2010-12-19T13:45:57Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Bad husband! Doesn’t he know that there are any number of pre-made things he could buy at Safeway to take to a potluck? We don’t have Safeway, but we have a bag of pretzels in the cupboard right now he could have taken, as well as a jar of salsa and a number of other things. Plus even some cookie mix and there is even frozen cookie dough in the freezer, all made into cookies already. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/352 "2010-12-20T17:47:03Z")
I’m guessing it didn’t bother him as much as it bothers you. I made two batches of cookies for my husband to take to a potluck last summer (I volunteered - I like making cookies), and one batch came out a little dark on the bottom. I wasn’t going to send the dark ones, but he didn’t care - he doesn’t care that much about his co-workers. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/353 "2010-12-20T17:47:45Z")
Dear Office-Mate: If you insist on playing your sports radio all day long, even when you are out of the office in a meeting… then I will insist on taking a baseball bat to your computer speakers. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/354 "2010-12-20T17:56:38Z")
Make sure the bat bears the logo of his favorite team… ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/355 "2010-12-20T18:47:07Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Oh, gross. This is why it’s much better to just address issues in a professional way as they come up if such a thing is possible at your workplace, or just shove your resentment deep down inside and bitch about it to your friends at the bar later. I can’t fucking stand people who have a problem but don’t say anything about it and then get all pissed off as though you were supposed to read their mind the whole time. Well, this employee is no longer a problem as of today. It’s a shitty, shitty way for it to happen, especially at this time of year, but I don’t know what she expected when she said she hated and didn’t trust management. It might have been salvageable had she made a good faith effort to work issues out, but as it was the high-ups couldn’t trust her in return. It’s one of those things where I hate that it has to happen, but at the same time there’s been a great weight lifted. She made it difficult to get things beyond the bare minimum done smoothly. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/356 "2010-12-20T19:44:19Z")
> [@Ann\_Onimous](#): > > Easy: I work QA in a call center. And you’re not attached to any team or anything? Other QA people or managers? That just seems weird to me. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Make sure the bat bears the logo of his favorite team… Better: his favorite team’s rivals. And make sure the bat is left somewhere he’ll find it. Preferably with chunks of radio embedded in it. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/357 "2010-12-20T20:19:24Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Better: his favorite team’s rivals. And make sure the bat is left somewhere he’ll find it. Preferably with chunks of radio embedded in it. And a note that says simply: Go Red Sox, Motherfucker. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/358 "2010-12-20T20:58:21Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > And you’re not attached to any team or anything? Other QA people or managers? That just seems weird to me. I’m not sure how it works everywhere, but **Ann Onimous** ’s rant was pretty much identical to several I’ve heard from QA staff at a call center I used to work at. They had grown large enough to have several QA staff, but that wasn’t always the case. Prior to that, the QA person reported to a manager up the chain (later, they reported to offsite managers due to abuse). Keep in mind that, in many cases, the averaged performance of a team counts towards the performance of a supervisor, and the average performance of all teams to a manager, and so on and so forth. There’s a strong incentive to boost those scores, and if your center is on mandatory overtime for the thirtieth straight week and your turnover rate is 350%… well, leaning on a QA person to lighten up a little starts to make sense, if you’re not the ethical type. They were definitely isolated and frequently forgotten during holiday events and the like. As we had no particular policy that the QA staff had to be isolated in this way, I didn’t really pay the convention much attention, but I was an exception. When I had friends promoted to QA and I got promoted to supervisor, I tried to bring them in more (such as inviting them to my staff meetings from time to time). I didn’t think it made a lot of sense for people to get anonymous feedback forms from mysterious people they didn’t know. It’s not a good feeling. I frequently invited them to potluck events and such to demystify the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/359 "2010-12-20T21:38:52Z")
Yeah, my confusion is definitely not a negative reflection on **Ann Onimous** , but rather on her coworkers and her management. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/360 "2010-12-20T23:40:40Z")
> [@TheMerchandise](#): > > And a note that says simply: Go Red Sox, Motherfucker. To really infuriate a baseball fan, make it read, “Go Yankees!” 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=19)